Pottery and porcelain: Soft pottery of Italy (Majolica)
Pottery_and_porcelain:_CHAPTER_I. 3 400px|right|Página 4 The Italian pottery, generally known under the names of Majolica, RafFaelle ware, and sometimes by the term of " Umbrian ware," though the production of the fifteenth century, owed its origin, about the twelfth century, to the introduction into Italy of the Moorish pottery,See coloured plate, "Azulejo." obtained as the spoil of conquest by the various Italian republican states engaged in warfare with the Infidels. The first introduction of painted pottery into Italy may be traced to the Pisans. It is related by Sismondi,Rep. Ttal. du Moyen Age. that the zeal of the Pisans against the Infidels urged their undertaking the deliverance of the Tyrrhene Sea from the aggression of the Mussulman Corsairs. A king of Majorca, named Nazaredeck, 'by his atrocious acts of piracy spread terror along the coasts of France and Italy. It was computed that 20,000 Christians were confined in his dungeons. In the year 1113 the citizens of Pisa were exhorted on the festival of Easter by their Archbishop, in the name of the La cerámica italiana, generalmente conocido con el nombre de mayólica, cerámica Raffaelle, ya veces por el término de "cerámica de Umbría", aunque la producción del siglo XV, debió su origen, hacia el siglo XII, a la introducción en Italia de la la cerámica musulmana, 1 obtenida como el botín de conquista por los diferentes Estados republicanos italiana que ejerce una guerra con los infieles. La primera introducción de la cerámica pintada en Italia sólo pueden ser remonta a los pisanos. Se relaciona por Sismondi, 2 que el celo de los pisanos contra los infieles instó a su compromiso de la liberación del Tirreno de la agresión de los corsarios musulmanes. Un rey de Mallorca, llamado Nazaredeck, "por sus actos atroces de terror diseminado la piratería en las costas de Francia e Italia. Se calcula que 20.000 cristianos fueron confinados en sus mazmorras. En el año 1113 los ciudadanos de Pisa se exhortó en el festival de la Pascua por su arzobispo, en nombre de la 4 400px|right|Página 4 God of the Christians, to undertake the deHverance of their brethren who were groaning in the prisons of the Infidels, and thereby maintain the glory of Pisa. Religious enthusiasm soon took possession of the minds of all present, and every man capable of bearing arms took up the cross and prepared for the expedition. In the month of August, the Crusaders set sail for the Balearic Isles, but the mariner's compass not having been then invented to assist them in their navigation, after a violent tempest they were thrown upon the coast of Catalonia, where they remained till the following year. They again sailed in the month of April, 1114, and reached Ivicpa. After a bloody combat they took the Island, and passed on to Majorca, where they undertook the siege of the town of that name, which was valiantly defended for a whole year, but was taken about Easter 1115, notwithstanding the courageous resistance of the Saracens, assisted by their numerous allies. The king was killed, his successor was made prisoner and conducted to Pisa, and spoils and booty of immense value freighted the Pisan galleys in their triumphant return to their native city. That the painted Moorish pottery, an article of great value, and supposed to have been almost unknown at that period in Italy, formed part of these spoils, appears probable from the fact of plates, or bacini, of apparently Moorish pattern and origin, being found incrusted in the walls of the most ancient churches of Pisa, as well as in those of many other towns in Italy. Mr. Dawson Turner, in his unpublished journal, dated Pisa, October 18th, 1825, says : " After having returned to the Conservatore the keys Dios de los cristianos, para llevar a cabo la deHverance de sus hermanos que gemían en las cárceles de los infieles, y mantener así la gloria de Pisa. El entusiasmo religioso pronto se apoderó de las mentes de todos los presentes, y cada hombre capaz de portar armas tomó la cruz y se preparó para la expedición. En el mes de agosto, los cruzados se embarcó para las Islas Baleares, pero la brújula no haber sido entonces inventó para ayudarles en su navegación, después de una violenta tormenta que fueron lanzados en la costa de Cataluña, donde permanecieron hasta el siguiente año. Otra vez salió en el mes de abril, 1114, y alcanzó Ivicpa. Después de un sangriento combate que tuvo la Isla, y se transmite a Mallorca, donde emprendieron el asedio de la ciudad del mismo nombre, que fue defendido valientemente por un año entero, sino que fue tomada sobre la Pascua 1115, a pesar de la valerosa resistencia de los sarracenos , ayudados por sus aliados numerosas. El rey fue asesinado, su sucesor fue hecho prisionero y conducido a Pisa, y el botín y el botín de inmenso valor cargado las galeras de Pisa en su regreso triunfal a su ciudad natal. Que la cerámica pintada de la mora, un artículo de gran valor, y se supone que han sido casi desconocido en aquella época en Italia, formó parte de estos despojos, parece probable por el hecho de placas o Bacini, de modelo aparentemente árabes y de origen, siendo encuentran incrustadas en las paredes de las iglesias más antiguas de Pisa, así como en las de muchos otros pueblos de Italia. 5 of the Campo Santo, he was kind enough to walk and show me several specimens of plates from Majorca, embedded in the walls of sundry churches in the city, to which they form singular ornaments. It was a custom at Pisa, with the warriors returning from the Crusades and stopping at Majorca, to bring home this pecuhar earthenware by way at once of testimony and trophy. They are accordingly only to be found in the oldest buildings of the style that we in England should call Norman. In St. Sisto and St. Apollonica, they are on the West front, and a row of them is also to be seen running along the sides under the cornice. In St. Francisco are some near the top of the Campanile, which is very lofty. I afterwards observed others in the walls of two churches of about the same date at Pavia.'' Sir F. Palgrave observed similar plates on the Campanile Fig. 1. Span. Moresco Plate. (Coll. Manyat. of a church in the Forum at Rome, also on the facade (of Lombard architecture) of San Giovanni in Ciel d'Oro, at Pavia, and under the eaves of San Pietro in Grade, outside del Campo Santo, tuvo la amabilidad de caminar y me muestran varios ejemplares de las placas de Mallorca, incrustados en las paredes de las iglesias sin excepción en la ciudad, a la que forman adornos singulares. Era una costumbre en Pisa, con los guerreros que regresaban de las Cruzadas y con parada en Mallorca, para llevar a casa este barro pecuhar a través del testimonio a la vez y trofeo. Tienen, por consiguiente sólo se encuentran en los edificios más antiguos del estilo que en Inglaterra debe llamar a Norman. En San Sisto y San Apollonica, están en el frente occidental, y una fila de ellos es también por ver a lo largo de los costados debajo de la cornisa. En San Francisco son algunos cerca de la cima del Campanile, que es muy elevada. Yo después observó a otros en las paredes de dos iglesias que tienen aproximadamente la misma fecha en Pavía. Sir F. Palgrave observaron placas similares en el Campanile La figura. 1. Span. Moresco de la Plata. (Col. Manyat. de una iglesia en el Foro en Roma, también en la fachada (de la arquitectura lombarda) de San Giovanni in Ciel d'Oro, en Pavía, y bajo el alero de San Pietro en el grado, en las afueras 6 the walls of Pisa ; the latter were chiefly of a bright green, and covered with patterns which had every appearance of being Moorish. The front of the Church of San Michele, Pavia,See Murray's Handbook of North Italy under the head Pavia." supposed to be of as early date as the sixth or seventh century, has been ornamented with paterae of rude earthenware, coloured with blue and yellow. One or two yet remain, and circular holes show where others of the same kind had been inserted. Similar specimens are found in other buildings in Tuscany, and the Ciceroni, who are never at a loss for an answer, tell you they were brought from Palestine by the Crusaders. Further researches have been since made respecting the Moorish plates, existing in the walls of the Church of Fig. 2. Facade of San Sisto, Pisa decorated with Moorish Plates. San Sisto, from which it appears that there are now very few remaining, and that all those which are under the cornice along the side, prove to be merely plaster impressions, painted to resemble the original plates, which have been stolen or taken away. On the West front there remain four of the original plates, which, from their comparatively inaccessible situation, have escaped the fate of 7 the others. Drawings of these plates have been made, as well as of the mode in which they are inserted. Notwithstanding the early period of the introduction of these specimens of Moorish pottery, it would appear that they remained a long time admired and venerated as religious trophies, before they were imitated, as there exists no record of any manufacture of Majolica in Italy before the fourteenth century, nearly 200 years after the period already mentioned. The early specimens of Majolica of the fourteenth century are very similar to the Moorish pottery, consisting of arabesque patterns in yellow and green upon a blue ground, and are evidently copied from them. Under the dominion of the House of Sforza,Francesco Sforza seized the March of Aneona from Pope Eugenius IV., in 1434, and erected it into an independent state. the art greatly improved, and the manufacture at Pesaro had in 1450 arrived at a high degree of excellence. Notwithstanding the foregoing testimony which may be considered nearly conclusive as to the Moorish origin of Italian pottery, Passeri claims the invention on behalf of his birth-place Pesaro, in which city he says that the manufacture of pottery existed from the earhest times ; that it remained in abeyance during the decline of the Roman empire, and revived about the fourteenth century, at which period arose the custom of decorating the fa9ades of churches with coloured plates of earthenware (bacini) ; that some of a yellow colour still remained on the Church of St. Agostino, and that some yellow and green ones which adorned the facades of the Duomo and St. Fernando, had been removed in his time. He asserts that these specimens were not Moorish, but the first efforts of 8 Italian art ; and he thinks it probable that the art originated with Luca della Robbia, and that it might have been brought by the Sforzi to Pesaro, where it could have been easily adapted to all kinds of pottery, at a period long prior to the introduction into Italy of the "contrefatte majorichine."In the Museum at Frankfort is a composition in earthenware of many hundred figures, representing the Virgin and Saints, by George Andrioli 1511 ;which served as an altar-piece to a church at Gubbio. It is of great merit, Luca della Robbia, born in 1388, was an eminent sculptor in marble and bronze, and worked both at Florence and at Rimini. Having abandoned his original employment for that of modelhng in terra cotta, he succeeded, after many experiments, in making a white enamel, with which he coated his works, and thus rendered them durable. Vasari writes of him, " che faceva I'opere di terra quasi eterne.^^ His chief productions are Madonnas, Scripture subjects, figures, and architectural ornaments : they are by far the finest works of art ever executed in pottery. He adorned the Italian churches with tiles, as well as with altar-pieces, in terra cotta enamelled ; and he is the founder of a school which produced works not much inferior to his own. The "Petit Chateau de Madrid," in the Bois de Boulogne, near Paris, received the appellation of " Chateau de Fayence," from having been ornamented with enamelled tiles, the work of an Italian artist, named Girolamo della Robbia, a grand-nephew of Luca, whom Francis I. brought from Italy. This chateau is now wholly destroyed. The tiles seem to have been introduced into portions of the architectural composition, rather as accessory ornaments than as a " lining " or revetement of the walls. Analogous ornaments, the work of Luca de Maiano, 1521, were to be seen in the old gate, Whitehall, and at Hampton Court.See " EUis's Original Letters," 3rd Series i. 24.9. 9 Luca della Robbia sometimes, though rarely, used a coloured instead of white enamel in his compositions. The annexed cut (Fig. 3) represents the altar-piece of San Miniato, near Florence, by him. The ground is blue, the figures white, the fruits, &c., gold colour, and the garlands green. Fig. 3 Altarpiece of terra cotta, by L. della Robbia. Sau Miniato. A reference to dates will show the great antiquity of the Majorca pottery. The bacini mentioned were (if not Moorish) Italian imitations, of a much later period. And if further evidence be wanting of the very obvious derivation of the term Majolica from Majorca, a passage in the works of Julius Scaliger appears to set the matter at rest. When, comparing the porcelain of India with the pottery of Majorca, he says that the Italian pottery derived its name of Majolica from Majorca, where the pottery was most excellent." Horum pretia, cum et opes, et patientiam, postremo etiam fidem excederent; novo ingenio tam belle imitati sunt in Insulis Majoricis, ut ssepe difficile judicatu sit, utra vera, utrave adulterina. Profecto nee forma, nee specie, nee nitore cedunt, aliquando etiam superant elegantia. In Italia nunc audio tam perfecta venire, ut cuivis cassitero, quod ibi vocant peltrum anteferantur. Ea compta una litera, a Balearibus, ubi dicuntur excellentissima fieri, Majolica nominantur, " Julius Ccesar Scaliger, lib. 15: Exotencarum Exercitationum, No. 92. Extracted from "Istoria delle Pitture in Majolica descritta da Giambattista Passeri :" reprinted at Pesaro, 1838. Octavius Ferrari also, in his work upon the origin of the Italian language, states his belief, " that the use of Majolica, as well as the name, came from Majorca." 10 This celebrated manufacture owed its great perfection to the princely house of Urbino, by whom it was patronised for 200 years. The first Duke Frederick of Montefeltro (1444), who was a celebrated warrior, as well as a man of letters,Sansovino relates that when he took Volterra, of all the booty made by his army at the sacking of the town he reserved for himself only a magnificent Hebrew Bible, with which he enriched his library. continued and upheld the manufacture of Majolica. His son, Guidobaldo, established another manufacture at Pesaro, in which the first artists of the age were employed. His nephew and successor, Francesco Maria della Rovere, added to them that of Gubbio. The next Duke, Guidobaldo II., took great pains to improve the style of painting. He assembled at Urbino the most celebrated artists of the school of RafFaelle, who furnished the designs from which the finest specimens of the art were produced. He painted some vases with his own hand. He also formed the celebrated collection of the Spezieria, or medical dispensary attached to the Palace of Urbino. But overwhelmed with debt, he was obliged to contract the expenses of these establishments, and the quality of the ware deteriorated rapidly in consequence. The last Duke, Francesco Maria II., after having built the magnificent Palace of Castel Durante, which he adorned with choice specimens of Majolica, was compelled, from a similar cause, to dismiss his best artists, a necessity which completed the ruin of the manufactory. In his dotage he abdicated his Duchy in favour of the Holy See ; and dying in 1631, his valuable collections of Majolica became the property of Ferdinand de' Medici,He had married the grand-daughter of Francesco Maria. who removed them to Florence ; that of the Spezieria, already mentioned, was presented to the shrine at Loreto. 11 The immortal Raffaelle Sanzio d'Urbino, who was born at Urbino m 1483, and died at Rome in 1520, has given his name to this ware. But this general use of the term " Raffaelle ware '^ has, doubtless, arisen from an erroneous supposition that its splendid designs were either painted by him or under his immediate direction ; whereas the finest specimens are not of an earlier date than 1540. The designs for many of them were, however, furnished by his scholars from the original drawings of their great master. It is matter of indifference whether Raffaelle himself ever painted any of these earthen plates with his own hand, since they could not now be identified ; while the pretty legend of the arts, that love guided his pencil, loses little of its value by the uncertainty. At all events, it is certain that the compositions of Raffaelle are found upon a very large number of Majolica vessels. It was in the sixteenth century that the art of engravingreached its highest point of excellence in Italy under Marc Antonio. This artist was employed by Raffaelle, lived in his house, and worked under his eye. The prints he executed became the fashion, and therefore were copied on these plates, affording another reason for the name of " Raffaelle ware." Keysler relates that Baron Tassis, of Venice, possessed an autograph writing of Raffaelle, in which he informs the Duchess of Urbino that the designs are ready which the princess had desired to be made for some porcelain for her sideboard.Travels in Germany, Italy, &c., 1756. Although Pesaro, Gubbio, and Urbino, were in the middle of the fifteenth and beginning of the sixteenth century, 12 the sites of this celebrated manufacture, it afterwards extended to Rimini, Faenza, Forh, Fermignano, and along the banks of theMetaurus.toCastel Durante (now Urbania), Ravenna, Ferrara, Bologna, and Castel di Daruta, in Perugia. Sienna, also, towards the end of the sixteenth century, furnished remarkably fine specimens. In the valley of the Abruzzi there was likewise a manufactory. The early specimens, from 1450 to 1500, were a coarse ware, called Mezza Majolica. The finer ware, called "Porcellana," The name given at this period in Europe to the finest description of pottery, and derived from the Portuguese word " Porcellana," a cup. was afterwards introduced, on which the artists were able to paint grander compositions, and with better taste. It was at its greatest celebrity from 1540 to 1560, under Duke Guidobaldo II. During this period, artists were employed of first rate merit, and designs were introduced from classical or scriptural subjects, which were taken from the drawings, and Marc Antonio prints of the school of Raffaelle, and other great masters, especially Parmegiano. Afterwards, from various circumstances, particularly the death of its royal patron, which took place in 1574, the manufacture began rapidly to decline, and the introduction of Oriental porcelain completed its ruin. An establishment, of an inferior ware, existed at Urbania in 1 722. What the Mezza Majohca wanted in drawing and design, was abundantly made up in the beauty and perfection of its colour and enamel glaze. From the excellence of the glaze, the yellow and white colours have the metalhc lustre of gold and silver. The changeable hght and "Madreperla'' splendour were also given in great perfection ; and, indeed, have never been surpassed. The 13 iridescent ruby colour is peculiar to Pesaro and Gubbio, and is of very rare occurrence ; two colours only blue and yellow, with their mixtures appear to have been generally used in painting this ware, and the striking effect produced by the union of these simple colours shows the great talent of the painters employed in that early period of the art. The execution of the drawings, however, at that time, was rude and unfinished. Arabesques and coats of heraldry round the rim of the dish, with the bust in the centre, characterise the general style of the " Mezza Majolica." Semi-busts of the Deity were very generally introduced; as also portraits of princes, (especially of the House of Sforza), of their consorts, and occasionally of the popes, accompanied sometimes with sentences in Latin or Italian. This style, which was dry and stiff, without shadow or mezzotint of any kind, continued till the introduction of the "porcellana" ware, when the art, as we have before mentioned, reached its highest point of excellence. 1560 was the commencement of a new era in the history of the Majolica. Then began to be painted landscapes and friezes, together with every strange variety of fanciful conceit, or " Capricci," (as they are termed), boys, birds, trophies, musical instruments, monstrous animals, as well as copies from many of the fine Raffaelle grotesques. But the decline of the art had begun. The drawings grew incorrect, the colours pale, badly shaded, and cloudy. The painters put aside the copies of the old masters, and fooHshly adopting the stiff and contracted style of the early Flemish school, rapidly perverted the easy taste. In 1574 the ducal estabHshment was suppressed, on 14 account of its expense, and Majolica was from that time manufactured for common purposes only. It was the usual custom for the artists to write the title of the subject, in blue characters, on the back of the dish, but rarely to affix their name and place of abode ; and when they painted a complete service, they marked only the principal piece, intending that one piece to speak for all. The arms of the families for whom the set was painted are frequently introduced on the plate or dish. The letters I x P x distinguish the manufacture of Pesaro. " Ugubbio " is generally inscribed upon that of Gubbio ; the name at full length, as " Urbini," on that of Urbino ; the letter F. on that of Faenza. The letters C. and D. joined, form the mark on that of Castel Durante. Most of the painters on this ware were mere copyists, and worked from drawings furnished by first-rate artists ; but among the best Majolica painters may be especially noticed Nicolo da Tolentino, of Pesaro, previously to 1500. Maestro Geronimo Vasajo, in 1542, his mark was 0, and A. united by a cross. Also, Girolamo Lanfranco, who flourished from 1542 to 1560. Eaffaelle da CoUe, a pupil of Raffaelle, long resident at Pesaro ; and Terenzio di Matteo. These were also celebrated artists of Pesaro. Giorgio Andreoli, of Pavia, settled at Gubbio in 1498. His mark, written in letters of bronze or gold colour, the G. of a peculiar form, was M. G. (Maestro Giorgio), from 1519 to 1537; though a single A. is found upon his earher performances. Maestro Rovigo, of Urbino, who flourished from 1532 to 1534, wrote his name at full length under the date and title. Xanto, of Rovigo, was a celebrated painter of Urbino, 15 from 1530 to 1535. His colours have the metaUic lustre so much prized. Orazio Fontana painted the finest specimens in the collection of the " Spezieria/' (now at Loreto), as also the presents sent by the duke to foreign potentates. His mark consists of the letters 0. F., with a V. above and an F. below, signifying Orazio Fontana, Urbinate, Fecit. Vasari writes that Battista Franco, in the employ of the Duke at Urbino in 1540, had no equal among his contemporaries in point of good drawing "Nel vero, per fare un bel disegno, Batista non avea pari, e si potea dire valent' uomo." The ancient naval battles,See Fig. 7. and the celebrated figures of the four Evangelists in the " Spezieria," are painted from drawings by that artist. His monogram is B F y F. Cipriano Piccolpesso^^of Castel Durante, about 1550, furnished a great many designs for the Duke, especially trophies of great beauty. The three brothers Gatti, and Guido of Savino, the last of whom emigrated to Flanders, were all equally celebrated artists of Castel Durante. Fig. 4 Majolica Pax. (Coll. Marryat.) The art of making enamelled tiles appears to have passed from Spain into Italy in the fifteenth century, as Passeri mentions their use in the Palace of the Sforzi, at 16 Pesaro, and speaks of some which bore the arms of Costanza Sforza. They appear to have been also some- Fig. 5. Majolica Vase. David and Bathsheba. (Coll. Marryat.) times used for ecclesiastical purposes, as a Pax.Pax an ecclesiastical instrument, of ancient use in the Roman Catholic Church, which the priest kissed first, then the clerk, and lastly the people who assisted at the service, one after another. It was usually of metal, and in the form of a plate or tablet, and had upon it a representation of the Crucifixion either in reUef or engraved. The magnificent Pax of silver, engraved in niello by Finiguerra, is still preserved at Florence. The term is derived from the divine salutation, " Pax vobiscum." The custom of kissing it was in compliance with the apostolic injunction of " Salute one another with a holy kiss," which, in the early ages of the Church, was literally practised, but which was discontinued in after times. The specimen (Fig. 4) dated 1502, was originally framed and used as such. Every variety of form which can be required for common 17 or domestic use, as well as for ornament and luxury, both elegant and grotesque, is to be found in the MajoHca (Figs. 5, 6, 7). The early " Piatti da Pompa," or dishes for great occasions, were made at Pesaro, and the Pilgrims^ Bottle is known by the holes in the bottom rim, through which a strap or cord was passed (see coloured Plate). Fig. 6. Majolica Vase. Galatea. (Coll. Marryat.) The " Tazzoni da frutta di rilievo," or fruit basins with embossed patterns in high relief, of the gold colour of Pesaro, dated 1470, are very curious. 18 The cisterns of large dimensions, and the vases of every quaint variety of form (Figs. 8, 9), highly embeUished with Fig. 7. Majolica Ewer. Landing of Csesar. (Coll. Du Sommerard.) paintings, with their handles formed of serpents, and rims Fig. 8. Majolica Sauce Boat. (Coll. Du Sommerard.) Fig. 9. Majolica Vessel, grotesque form, (Coll. Marryat.) surmounted by grotesque figures of animals and fishes, and also those vessels used by apothecaries to hold their drugs, are greatly to be admired (see Plate, Vaso della Spezieria). Amatorii, a name given to various pieces, such as small basins or small deep dishes (bacinetti) adorned with the portrait and name of a favourite lady to be presented by a lover as a pledge, are not less admirable specimens of the art. On such was inscribed under the portrait the name in this fashion : MINERVA BELLA. CECILIA BELLA. These portraits are interesting as giving the costume and head-dress of the period. Small plates for ices and sweetmeats, about a palm in diameter ; children's plates, with paintings in the style of the Festa di Ballo ; nuptial vases, with appropriate subjects ; vases for holding different kinds of wine, poured out from one spout ; " Fiaschini,'' or small flasks, in the shape of lemons and apples ; cups covered with tendrils, and other quaint devices ; small statues of saints : jocose figures ; birds of every kind, coloured after nature ; painted tiles, used for walls and floors, many of them admirably executed, show the great variety and excellence of this ware. Giambattista Passeri, Abbate of Pesaro, from whose scarce pubhcation"Istoria delle Pitture in Majolica fatte in Pesaro e nel luoghi circonvicini." No date or place, but reprinted at Bologna in 1758, 12mo. on the subject (in the library of Mr. Ford, a zealous collector of this ware) the above account is chiefly extracted, laments the caprice of fashion,which denounced Majolica as vulgar, and made Oriental 20 porcelain, just then introduced, the rage. The worthy Abb^ naively exclaims, in concluding his work, that the preference given to Oriental Porcelain, with Chinese paintings no better than what are seen upon playing-cards, over the Italian Majolica, embellished with the designs of the school of the immortal Raffaelle, proves the degeneracy of the age, and shows the lamentable predominance of the brutal over the intellectual part of man." La parte brutal e dell' uomo sara a favor delle Porcellane, ma Y intellettuale e raziocinativa guidichera a favor delle nostre Majoliche." After 1600 this celebrated ware almost ceased to be made in the States of Urbino, but in the following century there sprang up at Naples a manufactory which, in the forms and the style of the figures, has much resemblance to the ancient Majolica. More recently a similar ware was made at Venice. Duke Francesco Maria, as we have already stated, presented to the " Santa Casa di Loreto,^' a splendid collection of Majolica, once belonging to the Spezieria attached to his palace. It is celebrated for containing 380 vases, painted from the designs of Raifaelle, Giulio Romano, Michael Angelo, and other great masters ; these are arranged in two rooms. The finest are placed in the first saloon, and exhibit the twelve Apostles, St. John, St. Paul the first Hermit, the chaste Susannah, and the dying Job, which is said to be after Raffaelle. The others represent incidents of the Old Testament, actions of the ancient Romans and the Metamorphoses of Ovid. Those of the sportive games of children are in number eighty-four, each one being different from the other. These vases are very highly prized, as much for their 21 beauty as for their extreme variety. Bartoli has engraved them in his description of the glorious master-pieces belonging to the Sanctuary of Loreto (Cap. XX) ; and the Grand Duke of Florence was so desirous of purchasing them, that he proposed to give in exchange for them a hke number of silver vases of equal weight ; while Queen Christina of Sweden was known to say, that of all the treasures of the Santa Casa, she esteemed them the most. Louis XIV. is reported to have offered for the four Evangehsts and the Apostle Paul, an equal number of gold statues. The sacred cups of Loreto should also be mentioned. When the chapel is cleaned, the dust shaken from the dress of the Virgin or scraped from the walls, was carefully collected and mixed with the paste. This was made into small cups about four inches in diameter and one-and-half inch high. They are painted in blue and yellow, with the image of the Virgin and Child, and sometimes a representation of the Santa Casa, the inscription, CON- POL- DI- S C- (con polvere di Santa Casa) being placed on either the exterior or interior rim of the cup. A fine collection of this ware, which was removed thither from the Castle of Saltzdahlum at Wolfenbiittel, is to be found in the Ducal Museum at Brunswick. The Royal Museum at Berlin also contains a good collection. Another celebrated collection, at Ludwigsburg, is mentioned by Gothe in his posthumous works. In the Japan Palace at Dresden, there are to be seen 180 pieces of this ware, dating from 1532 to 1596, the subjects taken from Scripture history or Greek mythology. 22 Among the most remarkable are a vase, with the Ascension of our Saviour, after RafFaelle, and three large fonts, with angels for supporters, the broad rims of which are painted in arabesques. Coats of arms have been painted over the original paintings, which are scarcely discernible, though St. Mark's Palace can be just recognised. There is a fine font or basin for washing glasses, in the Dispensary of the Escurial ; the subject of the painting is the Judgment of Solomon. Strawberry Hill was rich in specimens of this ware, many of great beauty and extreme rarity. A pair of fine triangular-shaped cisterns, painted from the designs of GiuHo Romano, was sold for 160 guineas.Miss Burdett Coutts was the purchaser. There was a great variety of Pilgrims' bottles, many of them very fine. One specimen in particular was curious, as having the crest and arms of Duke Ferdinand de' Medici, and his consort Christina of Lorraine, who were married in February, 1589.Sold for 2U. 4s. The Pilgrims' bottles sold for 10 guineas to 15 guineas each. There was likewise a very magnificent pair of vases,Sold for 110 l. with serpent handles and paintings from designs of Giulio Romano, singular in having this inscription : *'FATE IN BOTEGA DI ORAZIO FONTANA." Other specimens might be named as having adorned this celebrated collection, which has now unfortunately been dispersed. Narford Hall, in the county of Norfolk, the seat of A. Fountaine, Esq., contains, perhaps, the finest collection in England of this ware. Many pieces are painted from the designs of Raffaelle ; but two pieces which deserve particular notice are a pair of cisterns of fine form and 23 execution, and of the remarkable size of 3 feet in length by 18 inches diameter. Fig. 10. Oviform Majolica "Vase (Formerly at Stowe.) Fig. 11. Cistern. (Formerly at Stowe.) Stowe, the seat of the Duke of Buckingham, contained a vase which was formerly, among other fine specimens, in the collection of the late Mr. Gray, at Harringer House, in the county of Middlesex. It is extremely curious, as being an instance of enamelHng overearthenware, in the style of Luca della Robbia. The ground of the vase is lapis lazuli blue, and it is exquisitely painted from designs by Giulio Romano, with figures in white ; the top and foot are in arabesque upon the Majolica. This gem (of which the cut, Fig. lo, is half size) was sold at Harringer House for 35/. ; it subsequently fetched, at the late sale at Stowe, 51 guineas. The silvergilt handles, which had been added before the vase was transferred to the Stowe collection, can hardly be considered as an improvement. At the same sale an oviform vase for sprinkling scented 24 water, painted with arabesques, sold for 27/. 16*. 6d. A single salt of grotesque form, for 10 guineas and a half, and a pair of the same sort for 121. 12s. The plates were knocked down at from 5 to 10 guineas each. But the most interesting specimen was a cistern (Fig. ii) from the Borghese palace, which, although much broken, sold for 64 guineas. Ralph Bernal, Esq., M.P., has been occupied for twelve years in forming a most extraordinary and unrivalled collection of this ware, as has likewise Mr. Ford, at Heavitree, near Exeter, who, passing from his early love of plates and dishes to books, has parted with the greater part of his collection, but still retains some exquisite specimens, particularly a large dish, the subject of which is Raffaelle's Judgment of Paris, most beautifully painted, and a matchless specimen of that rare master, Giorgio da Gubbio. The collection of the writer also contains some choice specimens from Strawberry Hill and from Mr. Ford's collection, besides others procured in Italy. A plate by Zanto, from Mr. Ford's collection, date 1533, the subject of which is a Sea Nymph, Cupid, Shells, &c., is a good specimen of the gold metallic lustre so highly prized by collectors. There is a large dish (Fig. i2) twenty-four inches diameter, the subject of the painting being the Storming of Goleta, on the coast of Africa, by Charles Y.Goleta, an island on the coast of Africa, was the stronghold of the Corsair Barbarossa, and strongly fortified. It capwas attacked by Charles V., with a flee of 500 vessels, and an army of 30,000 men, and carried by stoi'm on the 25th July, 1535. By this victory, and the subsequent surrender of Tunis, the emperor liberated 20,000 Christian cap tives, and effectually bridled the depre dationsof the African corsau-s. Robert son's Charles V. Book v. The Roman eagles 25 Fig. 12. Majolica Dish. Storming of Goleta. (Coll. Marryat. and letters SPQR are introduced upon the banners. There is a coat of arms on the obverse rim of the dish. The inscription on the reverse is singular : it is as follows : M- D- XXXXIDa Carlo d*Auftria Imperator potente L'alta Goletta inefpugnabil tanto Aftretta, e prefa con furor repena. Jn Urbino nella botteg di Francefco Silvano Categoría:Pottery and porcelain